Holiday time I like to personalize gifts in some small manner to spread the cheer. Each year I have been doing the traditional fruit cake and cookies, but this year I had a new addition to the giving basket and it was these yummy crumbly and not too crunchy Biscotti’s.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

6 tablespoon room temperature unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup shelled unsalted pistachio roughly chopped

1 cup dried sweetened cranberry

3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla, fennel seeds and orange zest. Beat in flour mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (sticky dough). Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather and very lightly kneed. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 15 inch-long log and 1.14 inches wide . Transfer logs onto the baking sheet, space them a couple inches apart. Bake logs until almost firm  when you touch but still pale, 25 to 28 mins. Cool the logs on baking sheet for about 12 minutes.

Carefully transfer the logs with the parchment paper to cutting board. Using a serrated knife  or  big heart knife cut logs into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices, any cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake until firm and lightly golden, about 8 to 10 mins. Transfer cookies onto cooling racks to cool. Enjoy them warm or store in an air tight container .